GE buys 2,000 Ford plug-in hybrids for fleet

Assemblyman Mark Lynett lifts an inverter system converter for a hybrid vehicle on the assembly line at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012. The converters enable the inversion of direct current from the battery to alternating current for the electric motor on hybrid vehicles. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Inverter system converters are seen on the assembly line at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012. The converters enable the inversion of direct current from the battery to alternating current for the electric motor on hybrid vehicles. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

GE has set a goal of converting half its fleet to alternative energy vehicles. With the Ford purchase, GE now has 5,000 alternative-fuel vehicles, or about 10 percent of its fleet.

Ford will promote GE's electric vehicle charging stations as part of the agreement.

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The two companies also plan to work with researchers from Georgia Tech University to study employees' driving and charging habits. The results of those studies will be shared with other companies that want to add electric cars to their fleets.

The C-Max Energi went on sale this month. It can go around 20 miles in all-electric mode before a gas engine kicks in.